Ford’s SYNC AppLink system allows users to stream content from the web on their smartphone. Thanks to an app by jacAPPS, several Greater Media terrestrial stations may now be listened to in the car from anywhere in the country, not just in their home markets. (Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company.)

Used to be you could only go so far before you lost the signal of your favorite radio station and had to change to another. The smartphone and its ability to stream from the web changed that, and now Greater Media, owners of FM radio stations in some of the Eastern United States’ largest metro markets, is taking advantage.

According to a press release from Greater Media, 16 of its radio stations based in Detroit, Boston, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Charlotte will be streamed to a mobile app by jacAPPS, a Detroit-based company who partnered with Ford to make radio station streaming friendly with Ford’s SYNC infotainment system’s interface and voice command structure.

Greater Media Senior Vice President Tom Bender said, “Listeners today still have favorite radio stations, but thanks to smartphones and mobile broadband, they are no longer tethered to traditional radios. With our new apps, users can listen to a live stream of the same programming being transmitted over the airwaves or listen to on-demand content like interviews or favorite shows.”

In a press release, Ford said drivers could command SYNC to play a given station’s stream by saying, “Play stream.” To stop, the driver would simply say, “Stop stream.” On-demand podcasts could be cued up just by saying the name of the show the listener wishes to hear.

jacAPPS President Fred Jacobs said, “This is a major breakthrough for the radio industry. Radio and cars are like peanut butter and jelly– always connected. We will now be able to take mobile applications and provide code to allow them to be fully integrated with SYNC AppLink, gain important real estate on the cars’ screen, voice command functionality, and more. This gives radio stations an important piece of digital real estate in the one area where the lion’s share of listening takes place– the car.”

SYNC with AppLink is equipped on more than 1 million Ford cars and trucks, the Motor Company said.